Ascel began forecasting health risks using environmental and public health case count data shortly after we were founded in 2010. Ascel’s first partnership with a local U.S. hospital and county public health department was initiated in 2012, where we were processing hospital records. Ascel established forecast stations internationally around the same time. In 2014 began delivering disease outbreak almanacs to private customers. Ascel also delivered our technology for use at the U.S. state public health level and for teaching purposes in 2014. By 2015 Ascel had processed larger hospital system data as well as medical records data from one of the largest health information aggregators in the U.S. In 2016 Ascel’s data was being distributed to over 200,000 practicing physicians globally, as well as to other customers.

Ascel has been undertaking this work as a private company for a combination of reasons:

Outbreaks and warnings have the potential to save lives and improve daily life.

Globally, government funding for disease forecasting and outbreak warning is limited.

Like commercial meteorology, the private sector can fill the gap and satisfy unmet demand for forecasts and warnings tailored to consumer and corporate interests.

As pioneers in commercial bio-forecasting, Ascel acknowledges its responsibility to:

Deliver to our customers a clear and coherent explanations of the accuracy and reliability of the information our company distributes; and,

Disclose to our customers information we have at hand concerning any known limitations relating to our forecast accuracy.

All customers are provided with a certification document containing these explanations and disclosures.